ArticleQuality & safety in health care2010
The impact of shift patterns on junior doctors' perceptions of fatigue, training, work/life balance and the role of social support.
Article in Quality & safety in health care, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Impact of physician shift work implementation on mortality and length of stay in an emergency and critical care center: an interrupted time series analysis.BMC health services research · 2026Observational
- Analysis of influencing factors and prediction model for fatigue among medical staff at a large primary centralized medical observation point.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- In the shoes of junior doctors: a qualitative exploration of job performance using the job-demands resources model.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- A qualitative study on the adoption of the new duty hour regulations among medical residents and faculty in Korea.PloS one · 2024Article
- Circadian Rhythms in Cardiovascular Function: Implications for Cardiac Diseases and Therapeutic Opportunities.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Review
- Article
- Omitting repetitive clerking does not disadvantage cardiology patients and reduces duplication.Future healthcare journal · 2023Article
- Relationship between socioeconomic status and cognitive ability among Chinese older adults: the moderating role of social support.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
- Article
- The cognitive impact of guard shifts in physicians: a before-after study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2022Observational
- Autonomic nervous system activity under rotational shift programs: effects of shift period and gender.Industrial health · 2022Article
- The Relationship Between Workplace Spirituality and Work-to-Family Enrichment in Selected Public Sector Organizations in Malaysia.Journal of religion and health · 2021Article
- Observational
- Depression and its associated factors: perceived stress, social support, substance use and related sociodemographic risk factors in medical school residents in Nairobi, Kenya.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- The Use and Effectiveness of an Online Diagnostic Support System for Blood Film Interpretation: Comparative Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Observational
- The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in the Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional Study Among 1,104 Chinese Physicians.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- Exploring the experiences and opinions of hospital pharmacists working 24/7 shifts.European journal of hospital pharmacy : science and practice · 2019Article
- Surveying, shoring, strengthening: rebuilding medical morale from its foundations .Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2019Review
- Occupational blood and body fluid exposures and human immunodeficiency virus post-exposure prophylaxis amongst intern doctors.Southern African journal of HIV medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe organisation of junior doctors' work hours has been radically altered following the partial implementation of the European Working Time Directive. Poorly designed shift schedules cause excessive disruption to shift workers' circadian rhythms.
methodInterviews and focus groups were used to explore perceptions among junior doctors and hospital managers regarding the impact of the European Working Time Directive on patient care and doctors' well-being.
resultsFour main themes were identified. Under "Doctors shift rotas", doctors deliberated the merits and demerits of working seven nights in row. They also discussed the impact on fatigue of long sequences of day shifts. "Education and training" focused on concerns about reduced on-the-job learning opportunities under the new working time arrangements and also about the difficulties of finding time and energy to study. "Work/life balance" reflected the conflict between the positive aspects of working on-call or at night and the impact on life outside work. "Social support structures" focused on the role of morale and team spirit. Good support structures in the work place counteracted and compensated for the effects of negative role stressors, and arduous and unsocial work schedules.
conclusionsThe impact of junior doctors' work schedules is influenced by the nature of specific shift sequences, educational considerations, issues of work/life balance and by social support systems. Poorly designed shift rotas can have negative impacts on junior doctors' professional performance and educational training, with implications for clinical practice, patient care and the welfare of junior doctors.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.